When you think of a church service, you probably have ideas about what goes on inside a church building on Sunday mornings. You might imagine people reading and discussing Scripture, singing hymns, or hearing a sermon from a pastor or another leader of the congregation. But a typical church service is much more than that. In fact, the word “service” doesn’t even appear in most denominational guidelines for what should happen during a worship service. The word “service” gets mentioned in church governance documents; it’s what those documents are supposed to help the congregation do with their time on Sunday morning. The word “service” refers to all the things that churches do to help one another in times of need, to build up the community around them, and to spread the Christian gospel to people in their neighborhood and beyond. These things don’t replace the primary focus of a church service: proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. But they are an important part of it!The Bible has many examples of people praying together as a church, sometimes even as part of a formal service. The Apostle Paul wrote about it in 1 Thessalonians 1:2 – “As for the word that you heard from us, you received it for good.” He also encouraged the church at Corinth to “pray often, not just special times” in their gatherings (1 Cor. 14:15). The Bible also references several specific examples of prayers being offered by the saints in the New Testament. For example, the book of Acts records the response of church leaders at various points in time to specific prayers offered by the congregation. In these examples and more, we see that prayer is an important part of being a Christian and building a local church.
What are the primary purposes of a church service?
In the Bible, there are many examples of how the early followers of Jesus followed his example by gathering together to worship and celebrate their faith. In the book of Acts, we see that the early church met together on many different occasions, including during times of celebration, thanksgiving, and special prayer. In the New Testament, we see that these gatherings were used as times for the church to hear God’s word and share their own thoughts on how they should be living in a way that honors God. Gathering together to celebrate and worship God has been an important part of church life ever since the early Christian communities began.But in today’s world, many people don’t have the time or resources to regularly attend a church service. For these people, it’s important that churches serve as places where people can find community, support, and encouragement. To do this well, churches need to be places where people can connect with God, with each other, and with the wider community.
How do we know what to pray for?
One of the most important things to do when you begin a church service is to open the meeting with a time of prayer. Prayer is not just something we do when we are stressed or need a reminder to be thankful. Prayer is an active, spiritual conversation with God. When you pray, you are joining together with the saints throughout history and across the globe who have also been connected to God through his Holy Spirit. When you pray with your fellow Christians, you are inviting God to be present with you and working through you as you ask and respond to him.Prayer is also a way to discern what the Holy Spirit is asking us to pray for. One of the best ways to understand the power and importance of prayer is to read through the New Testament and see how God uses prayers in his Word. For example, in the book of Acts, we see how specific prayers were answered by Jesus and his disciples.
Prayer as praise and thanksgiving
One of the most important prayers that a church can pray is praise and thanksgiving. The Bible is full of examples of people praising God in specific ways. For example, the Psalms are a collection of prayers that were used in the Old Testament to praise God. In the New Testament, we see Jesus praising God at the beginning of his ministry in the opening verses of the book of Matthew.In the New Testament, we also see how the early church praised God. For example, in the book of Revelation, we see how some of the saints in heaven praise God. We also see how the saints in heaven praise God in response to the book of Revelation.
Prayer as intercession
We can also pray for the needs of people around us. In the New Testament, we see many examples of people praying for one another. One of the most famous examples is the story of Jesus healing a blind man in the New Testament book of Mark. After healing the man, Jesus asks the crowd what they are wondering. The crowd responds with a request to see again. Jesus then uses the man’s healing as an example for his disciples:
Conclusion
When we read about the importance of prayer and how it should be a part of local church life, it can feel overwhelming. But remember: it is not about the quantity of prayers we offer but the quality. Prayer is how we put God at the centre of our lives, how we connect with him, and how we live in relationship with him. No matter what your role is in a local church, praying with others is a vital way to express your gratitude to God and to build the Kingdom of God. Prayer is something we can all do together in our local churches and it is something that we should all be doing more of.